DJ EXPO 2013: The Beatport mission is to connect DJs and their fans by providing all the music, tools and resources DJs need to launch, manage, and profit from their careers and engage with fans.
By focusing solely on delivering products and services tailored to the specific demands of the DJ community, we have grown to become not only the largest dance music store in the world, but also the epicentre of worldwide dance music culture.
Beatport was launched in 2004 by three DJs intent on creating the global digital equivalent of the record stores they relied on for their weekly crates. This meant meeting some very unique needs.
Beatport Stage at Movement Detroit 2013.
For instance, DJs require high-quality digital files that can hold up to the sound systems used in clubs. Downloads need to be free of DRM restrictions to allow for maximum playback flexibility. And the avalanche of content produced by the thousands of independent dance music labels worldwide has to be filtered, organized, and displayed anew on a weekly basis.
The result is a much different digital music service. For starters, the tracks DJs purchase from Beatport are played to hundreds of thousands of listeners, not streamed to a lone pair of headphones. As such, our sales charts are far more than just a list of top-selling tracks, but rather a showcase of breaking hits setting the dancefloors and airways afire from week to week before they appear in mainstream charts.
Because we cater to these tastemakers, Beatport enjoys unique direct relationships with thousands of labels and artists that define the history and future of dance music. A dedicated team is charged with finding the tracks and mixes generating the most buzz and securing exclusive rights to their distribution.
Dennis Ferrer plays the Beatport Stage at Movement Detroit.
Unlike mainstream music services that rely on a small portion of their catalogue to drive sales, Beatport turns the long tail on its head—with 80% of downloads to date coming from independent labels. And while mainstream services treat music as a loss-leader to sell hardware or other products, music IS the product at Beatport and therefore is treated it as a premium, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars paid out to participating artists and labels.
That's what happens when a music store for DJs is built by DJs.
Maya Jane Coles at Villa 221 Miami.
Beatport's role today encompasses not only music sales, but also all the other components that traditional corner record stores once provided but that have been lost in the transition to the digital age.
They were community gathering places that helped customers discover new artists and sample new releases, let artists post flyers and perform, and provided music news and merchandise.
Beatport is the evolution of this experience. Our Beatport DJs platform let artists post custom profiles to promote their music, videos, gigs and playlists. Our Beatport Mixes platform lets DJs sell their mixtapes to the largest community of dance music fans in the world.
Aspiring producers can compete in our Beatport Play remix contests, which past winners have used to jumpstart their careers.
We host weekly streaming performances by world-class artists. And Beatport News contains the news and reviews fans and DJs alike need to keep up on the ever-growing community.
This progression from music store to integrated network remains based our belief that DJ culture is more than just a sound, or a beat, or a club. It's a lifestyle—one that Beatport lives and will continue to support every day.
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